Encapsulant films may be used for protecting elements, devices, and the like which are sensitive to external factors such as moisture or oxygen. The elements or devices that may be protected by the encapsulant film include, for example, organic electronic devices, solar cells, or rechargeable batteries such as lithium rechargeable batteries. In particular, among the elements or the devices, organic electronic devices are vulnerable to external factors such as water or oxygen.
The organic electronic device is a device including a functional organic material. As the organic electronic device or an organic electronic element included in the organic electronic device, a photovoltaic device, a rectifier, a transmitter, an organic light emitting diode (OLED), and the like may be exemplified.
In general, organic electronic devices are vulnerable to external factors such as water. For example, an organic light emitting element generally includes a layer made of a functional organic material that is present between a pair of electrodes including a metal or a metal oxide. When water penetrates from the outside, there are problems in which the layer made of the organic material is exfoliated due to an influence of moisture at an interface with the electrode, the electrode is oxidized by water which results in an increase in a resistance value, and the organic material itself is degenerated which results in a loss of a light-emitting function or a decrease in brightness.
Accordingly, in order to protect organic light emitting elements from elements of an external environment such as water, an encapsulation structure in which an organic light emitting element formed on a substrate is covered by a glass or metal can having a getter or a moisture absorbent provided therein and is fixed with an adhesive, and the like is used. Also, a method of sealing the organic light emitting element using an encapsulant film instead of the encapsulation structure is used.